Tech Directions - January 2008 - (Page 18)

the mold with the resin, and then you seal a plastic layer over the mold and suck all the air out of that area between the mold and the plastic bag. That allows you to use atmospheric pressure (about 14 lbs. per square inch) over the entire surface to really squeeze all the excess resin out of the material. That way we get a high fiber to resin ratio for a really strong lightweight component.” Looking Down the Track While they were assembling this year’s competition vehicle, some of the students thought ahead to processes that might be used to make next year’s. One noted that the school’s new Techno router has a large work envelope (4' × 8' × 11") that would make it possible to cut the mold directly instead of making a plug. That would eliminate many steps and save a lot of manufacturing time. “I love it when kids come up with ideas like that,” said Freeman. “So that is what we are going to do next year.” As for this year’s car, he said, “I think the kids have a really good one coming along. It’s a carbon fiber and Kevlar vehicle. It’s incredibly lightweight. I think it has a nice aerodynamic shape. It is just a matter of how well the kids do with their wheel alignments to cut down on the roll resistance. I leave a lot up to the kids. I let them work it out so they learn. Sometimes I throw an idea out. Sometimes they pick up on it and sometimes they don’t.” This year, as in previous years, Freeman is a little concerned about all the pieces of the project coming together in time so that the kids can field a vehicle of their own design and manufacture for the competition in late May or early June. Nothing is guaranteed. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle, and Freeman is not about to step in and rescue his class. It’s all about the students figuring out what needs to get done and doing it on schedule. The winners, with their trophy If the very worst happened, the kids would wind up competing with the vehicle last year’s class made. Making that adjustment would, in itself, be another learning experience. 18 techdirections ◆ JANUARY 2008 http://www.deere.com/publications http://www.deere.com/publications

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Tech Directions - January 2008

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